Our system for building homes in the Dominican has been extremely successful and a blessing to givers and receivers alike. We have family, friends, co-workers, etc. join together as a group to sponsor a family in the Dominican Republic to receive a home. These are the 6 families we are raising funds for in 2018. Please carefully consider how your family or group could assist. Pick the project that speaks to your heart.

1. DOMINICAN STARFISH
FOUNDATION
and
Pal Humanitarian
2018 Home-Building
Projects in the Dominican
Republic.

2. We have significantly upgraded our home-building projects. We are
now building completely in concrete (because of termite problems
with wood), and we are using aluminum doors and shutters. The
prices increased considerably, but the final product is also more
durable. The cost for the average 2 bedroom home is $13000 USD
and $15000 USD for 3 bedrooms. This applies if the people already
own their own land. If they do not, it is much more. We try to
chose those who do. This is the last home we completed.

3. HOW YOU CAN HELP
• Carefully look at the following six projects
• Talk with your family, friends, and co-workers
• Choose a project that most speaks to your heart
• Contact Dominican Starfish Foundation or Pal
Humanitarian with your intent to help
• Raise funds with those who are close to you
• Remember that many hands make light work
• Count your blessings for what you have
• Personally donate

4. Ali and Manuela and family
• Ali, Manuela and family live in extreme poverty in the
Dominican Republic. We visited their tiny, one-
bedroom, rented apartment. Several times, they have
not been able to pay their $50 per month rent and have
been put out in the street in the middle of the night
with their 3 small children.
• They are amazing parents and are trying their best to
support themselves selling cooked chicken in front of
their home. We were so taken by their plight and feel a
strong desire to help them have a home. The day we
met with them, a generous person donated $5000 for a
piece of land on which to build their home.

5. Their livelihood
The kitchen

6. The Flores family
• The Flores family lives in
great poverty in the
Dominican Republic. They
have 5 small children. Their
home is deep in the
ground. Whenever it rain,
which is often, they are
flooded. This year has been
particularly bad.
• We want to help them by
replacing their home with a
new one. The cost of a new
home for them is so little in
comparison to North
America. Please open your
hearts and give whatever you
can.
The other 3 children were in school the
day this photo was taken.

8. Feliz Medina
• Chloe, (age 16, from Utah) met Feliz Medina in the
Dominican Republic. They became friends while teaching
each other Spanish and English. When Chloe saw the
desperate conditions in which Feliz lives, she determined to
raise funds for his new home. She will only be able to do this
with the help of many kind friends and family.
• Feliz has a wife who lives in a different city where she has a
housekeeping job, and he has two children in another
community. He has no way to support them nor give them a
place to live with him. He is 52-years-old and
unemployed. In the Dominican Republic, on the job
applications, it asks if you are between the ages of 18-35. It
is almost impossible to get a job if you are over 35.
• Please open your hearts and help Chloe help Feliz.

10. Kelvin Silverio and family
When you see this amazing young man,
Kelvin Silverio, doing his job as a pool boy
on the resort, you wouldn't imagine his
living conditions outside. We visited his
home to find large holes in the walls, only
one small bedroom for 6 people and a
crumbling foundation.
Kelvin has not asked for our help, but it is
something we want to do to change his life
and the life of his family forever. He has a
wife and two young children. His sister and
daughter will also live with them.

12. Esperanza and family
Esperanza lives with her 4
children in great poverty in
the Dominican
Republic. Her home is
made completely of tin. It
gets extremely hot. When it
is raining, the roof and walls
leak so the family and their
belongings get completely
soaked.
The volunteer teachers
from ILP (International
Language Program) have
chosen to raise money so
that we can build the family
a new home.

14. Jose Perez and family
On our last trip, we received the disconcerting news that our trusted taxi-
driver, Jose Perez (Jose Taxi) would be moving to Santo Domingo in June
this year. He will have 2 children (sponsored by our foundation) attending
university there and was relocating for housing reasons. He planned to sell
his taxi and hopefully acquire another job. We also learned that from
August to October last year, his total income from his taxi was $24. He
always comes to us with a smile on his face and we really had no idea what
had been happening behind the scenes.
Jose lives in a rented home. This year, the ceiling fell in. He moved to
another home, with even higher rent, and within days, that house was
leaking as well. We have always wanted to build Jose a home. He is an
amazing man and vital importance to our foundation. Through the help of
friends, we have been able to purchase a plot of land on which to build his
home.

15. Because Jose has never owned a home, we don’t have pictures
of the home to share, but these are some of him and his
family, whom we love. They will now remain in Puerto Plata.
Visiting us at our resort. This man and his taxi have hauled
thousands of people and thousands of
pounds of luggage for the foundation.

16. A few of many of the toasts to Jose from his friends from our humanitarian trips
Kara Werner He is kind, hilarious, and I don’t know
what we’d do without him!! Thank you, Jose, for being a
ray of light and for being so kind and dedicated to many
people who are important to me.
Ann Peltier Christensen Jose, you can't move to the big
city! You will miss the beautiful beaches and the crazy
fun people Louise brings to Puerto Plata!! We know you
will do what is best for your family and if you have to
move, we will miss you so much.
Barbara Louise Garside Jose is the best taxi driver ever!
He is so helpful, even when he doesn’t understand what
we are asking (he was so patient when we were trying
to find honey at the store, and laughed at us when we
started to make buzzing noises because we couldn’t
remember how to say honey in Spanish). He makes
going to the Dominican 100% better!
Barry-Laura Webster kind, considerate, helpful, happy,
and a genuine friend.
Wanda Thomas Titus With our trip to the DR we could
not have had a better driver than Jose! We were made
to feel safe getting around the city, he always looked
out for our children too which as a parent is a big plus
to have an extra set of eyes on them. He not only drove
us safely around which with the motorcycles and
people walking, small narrow streets is something in
itself. He always had a smile which would brighten your
day . Jose is a wonderful man who I hope we can help
so that we can continue to help the foundation. He has
been there for us. I hope we can be there for Jose and
his family!
Karen Wojtowicz As I'm reading this post Jose is
driving us from Kate's school back to Lifestyles. He is
such a blessing.
Brian Oaks Jose Andres Perez Fernandez is the best!
I've been all over the world and have never met
anyone quite like him before. My life has been greatly
blessed just for my interactions with someone so kind
and caring.
Megan Hillyer Jose is truly one of the best people that
I have met! He makes me laugh every time I see him.
He is thoughtful and kind and always willing to help
me learn a little more Spanish. Thank you for
everything that you do!
Melody Woodruff Jose is the best taxi driver ever. He
knows where to go, he patiently waits, his rates are
more than fair in fact he probably is underpaid. He
understands most of what we say but doesn’t speak
English yet!!! He gets what we are doing because he
has been on the receiving end of people’s help. Now
he wants to pay it forward. Not sure how the
foundation can live without him. A real treasure of a
kind, thoughtful and funny man.
Bobbie Z Peterson Everyone states that Jose is kind,
and loving, and helpful. All that is true, and he has a
great sense of humor and is not afraid to use it.
Although Jose likes to act like a tough guy, he has a
soft side. I think all of us trust him and value him as a
friend and very much needed.

17. Please contact us if you and your family/friends can help with one
of these projects. Please choose the one that speaks to your heart.
Dominican Starfish Foundation
Louise ZoBell
Executive Director
403-756-3491 or 403-393-3491
Box 175, Stirling, Alberta, T0K 2E0
Email: dominicanstarfish@gmail.com
Facebook: Louise Webster ZoBell
Pal Humanitarian
Pearl Giles
President
801-358-7737
82 North 3050 West
Layton, Utah 84041
Email: pearl.giles@gmail.com
Facbook: Pearl Giles
We have fundraising sites set up for each of these projects that you are welcome to tap into.